


The View from the Floor

by Endeni



Category: Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Genre: Blanket Permission, Character(s) of Color, F/M, Female Character of Color, POV Female Character, Podfic Welcome, Wordcount: 100-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:15:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29909256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Endeni/pseuds/Endeni
Summary: “Nigga, you trying to hit on me? Because I just broke up five minutes ago on my cheating-ass man. - I'm really not in the fucking mood.”
Relationships: Lady Reed/Rudy Ray Moore





	The View from the Floor

**Author's Note:**

> The movie was so lovely and I adored Lady Reed and Rudy; they were so sweet, I can’t believe there’s no fic for them on AO3 yet. I hope this little ficlet does them justice.  
> Also, I'm not black (I'm not even from the US) so, should you happen to find something in the fic that gives you pause, do let me know, please.

They were two weeks into shooting for The Human Tornado when he asked her: "Will you come to dinner with me tonight?"

They had wrapped up early that day and were alone on set.

She laughed. "You tryin' to hit on me, nigga?" Her words were their own private joke, an echo from the years before.

But when she looked back at him, he wasn't smiling along. His eyes were uncertain, almost afraid.

"Yes," he said. Slowly, as if testing the words for accuracy before letting them out. "I think I am."

Nancy's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn’t believe it. He never… After all this time. How could this be something he’d want, something he’d actually ask for?

Suddenly, her tongue seemingly plastered to the roof of her mouth, her heart a frantic rhythm in her chest.

Rudy was looking at her, earnest and a bit awkward. No mask now, no character for him to hide behind: he was laid bare before her, waiting, bracing himself for her verdict.

Silence stretched between them and his smile started to turn dim. She could see a joke already forming on his lips, humor used to defuse the tension and the hurt.

"Yeah," she managed to blurt out, half-terrified — of what it would mean, of what would change as a consequence, "Yeah, I'd go to dinner with you, Rudy."

Just like that, his smile turned back to full power, to that million-watt grin that was contagious as hell, and soon she was smiling back too, tension leaving her a little.

It was the craziest notion, to be wanted by this man. By Rudy Ray Moore, singer, comedian, actor and producer. By Dolemite the legend himself, who was always surrounded by young, beautiful women. The idea that that man could want someone like her seemed ridiculous.

But, at the same time, it wasn't. Because of the man behind the persona. Because he was the one who met her at her worst moment and turned her into someone confident and independent. Hell, he turned her into a movie star. He looked at her, saw a woman that didn’t exist yet, and helped bring that woman into being. Even when she didn't believe in herself, he believed in her enough for the both of them.

This was the man who always treated her like a lady, even after she told him she wasn't one.

This was the man who shared her insecurities with her (just as she did with him).

More than anything, this was her friend Rudy.

So yes, she dressed up, did her hair and her make up and went to dinner with him.

She smiled at him over their juicy steaks at the fancy restaurant he took her, talked about everything and nothing and just enjoyed herself.

Later on, he accompanied her home, all gentleman-like, and she kissed the taste of chocolate dessert off of his mouth, butterflies dancing in her stomach like she was back to New Orleans, singing on the goddamn stage.

Then, a few nights later, her friend Michelle set to watch over her son, she kissed her way into Rudy’s bed.

Just like she told him that one time, sex didn't have to be hard and serious, it could be laughter and fun. It could be the thrill of discovery and the warmth of feeling safe and respected and wanted for who she was, who she found out she could be.

Months later, they booked an appointment at the town hall and put down a deposit for a swanky new apartment: a new home for her, her sweet boy and her sweet man.

From New Orleans to Tallahassee to L.A. From shitting her pants on a rickety stage to attending a premiere of her own movie. From an unfaithful, money-stealing husband to marrying her best friend, her mentor, her confidante.

 _Yes_ , she thought as they left the small party their friends had thrown them and went home to their new house. Somehow, impossibly, life turned out infinitely better than anything she could ever imagine for herself just a few years ago.

It was the small hours of the morning and her teenage son was asleep in the backseat when they arrived. She went to wake him up: “Come on, baby boy, time to get into a real bed.”

She was still in her shining white dress and her husband in his suit, their clothes still sparkling with confetti.

Rudy opened the front door with their brand new keys ("Here you go, kid.") but he stopped her before she could follow her son inside.

“Wait,” he said, “let’s do this properly.” And then, half-jokingly and half-valiantly, moved to take her in his arms before crossing the doorway.

She shrieked in surprise. "Put me down, ya lunatic!"

He was still laughing as they inevitably collapsed under their combined weight after just two steps, landing them in a mess of tulle, organza and taffeta.

"God, you're something else," she said, half-sprawled on the floor of her new home next to her new husband. "Did you hurt yourself?" she asked.

"Nah," he said, smiling one of his blinding smiles, "I landed on something soft," he stretched out toward her, "and sweet," he said against her mouth. Nancy put her arms around his neck and brought them down on the floor the rest of the way.

"I say, nothing wrong with being portly," he said, grabbing her ass in a playful squeeze and making her snort with laughter.

"Not a damn thing," she replied as she kissed him.


End file.
